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JULY 17th: Opening This Week | Top 10

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [7/15]

Director: David Yates
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: In his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter discovers even more about the evil Lord Voldemort's past, thanks to his mentor Dumbledore and mysterious textbook marked "This book is the property of the Half-Blood Prince." By the end of the year, nothing will ever be the same.

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THE BUZZ: Director David Yates is again at the helm for this sixth film, which if the book is any indication, trods into decidedly grown-up territory -- we have left Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans far behind. Good news: screenwriter Steve Kloves is back, and the newest high profile cast additions include Jim Broadbent as professor Horace Slughorn) and Helen McCrory as Draco's nefarious mum. (Don't know her? She was Cherie Blair in The Queen) The bad news? You will probably need a hug by the time the credits roll -- darkness, death and despair loom highly for our hero.

Message Boards: david heyman on possible return of john williams | Did you cry at any moment in the Harry Potter series? (spoilers)

(500) Days of Summer [limited]

Director: Marc Webb
Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Full Cast)
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Plot: Greeting-card writer Tom (Gordon-Leavitt), falls for his new colleague, Summer (Deschanel), on her first day of work. What comes next is a look at the subsequent year-and-a-half period the two lovers spend together.

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THE BUZZ: Music-video director Marc Webb makes like Spike Jonze and others before him by splashing into the feature-film world with his debut, a musical, sprawling, potentially heartbreaking affair that earned a "Best Film at Sundance" label from many a reviewer. Look for offbeat specialists Fox Searchlight to keep this anti-romance delivering the truth about love throughout the summer and fall.

Message Boards: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Ripoff? | See this movie

Homecoming [LA/NY]

Director: Morgan J. Freeman
Stars: Mischa Barton, Matt Long, Jessica Stroup (Full Cast)
Studio:

The Plot: College football player Mike Donaldson returns to his hometown for Christmas break with his new girlfriend (Stroup), a surprise for the locals -- especially his ex, Shelby (Barton), who still pines for a relationship with Mike. A dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues between the two young women.

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THE BUZZ: While this clearly looks like Misery meets Fatal Attraction, riding on the coattails of Obsessed's success, I ask: What's wrong with that? Especially if you, say, pretend that Marissa Cooper never died -- she just washed ashore in a small town and started dating the local football hero. Sorry, Mischa, but just like your character here, you cannot escape your past.

Message Boards: 'Homecoming' gets a rave review from movieweb.com | Rated

Brüno

Director: Larry Charles
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: Flamboyant Austrian fashion reporter Bruno (Cohen) travels the world in search of the latest style trends.

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THE BUZZ: Diss all you want about Cohen's lesser-than-Borat creation from "Da Ali G Show," but we can't get enough of the Bruno sightings: from fashion runways and cage fights to baggage claim carousels and political rallies. The sneak preview killed at SXSW.

Message Boards: Why was Bruno so racist/antisemitic | Too much emphasize on the gay aspect

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Director: Carlos Saldanha Mike Thurmeier
Stars: Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Animation

The Plot: When Sid gets into some trouble, it's up to Manny, Ellie, Diego, and Scrat to save their friend. Their mission leads them to an underground world where encounter dinosaurs, flora, and fauna -- as well as a one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.

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THE BUZZ: Animation studio Blue Sky might just fulfill their promise to help Twentieth Century Fox bring Pixar-level quality to family audiences this year, as they look to resuscitate this franchise after the touchy, feely, Dr. Phil-y Ice Age: The Meltdown. (Admittedly, we are more primed for their other 2009 offering, Wes Anderson's The Fantastic Mr. Fox.) With just the teaser trailer and other shreds of evidence available, we say prepare for Scrat, and his new lady companion, to be positioned a bit toward the front and center, delivering true entertainment while they possibly distract from the revisionist history taking place.

Message Boards: A comment on 3D glasses 'rental' | What is your favorite line(s)?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel (Full Cast)
Studio: DreamWorks SKG

The Plot: Decepticon forces return to Earth on a mission to take Sam Witwicky prisoner, after the young hero learns the truth about the ancient origins of the Transformers. Joining the mission to protect humankind is Optimus Prime, who forms an alliance with international armies for a second epic battle.

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THE BUZZ: Nearly two years to the day after the original Transformers was released, it's interesting to note how the personalities involved here have changed. Shia LaBeouf has gone from an up-and-comer to full-fledged star, with attendant backlash and ego bursts; Megan Fox one upped her co-star by becoming a more credible Hollywood bad boy; Michael Bay is still as huffy as producer Don Murphy is angry, though they both do an admirable job of bringing movies news, insights, misdirections, and angry rants to the TF universe. What do we really know about the project? Highlights: A boosted budget (a reported $200 million, which excludes marketing and all that) allowed the creation of some 40 Autobots and Decepticons, who will receive more screen time; LaBeouf will likely channel Mutt Williams a bit, given the ancient-world tie-ins here (hint: Egyptology reveals the origins of TF life?!); rabid worldwide fanbase + four-barrel marketing attack + IMAX footage = biggest film of the year? KIT with TF2 via cheat sheets and spoiler logs. P.S. When is the last time a coloring book spoiled a plot?

Message Boards: Blame the Writer's Strike | Vanessa Marcil in 'The Rock': way hotter than Megan Fox in 'TF'

Public Enemies

Director: Michael Mann
Stars: Christian Bale, Johnny Depp (Full Cast)
Studio: Universal Pictures

The Plot: FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Bale) sets his sights on American gangster John Dillinger (Depp) and others in an attempt to curb a rampant Chicago crime spree during the 1930s.

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THE BUZZ: Gangster junkies rejoice! Not since Tony Soprano went bada-boom, bada-bye-bye have fans of the crime genre had a reason to get so excited. Bale and Depp teaming up with Mann to tell one of the most famous 1930s gangland tales has easily created one of the most anticipated movies of the year and will probably generate enough fireworks for you to skip out on that picnic this weekend and catch a matinee.

Message Boards: Marion Cotillard did a great accent | HD video on a big budget film is disgraceful

The Proposal

Director: Anne Fletcher
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: A publishing executive (Bullock) forces her assistant (Reynolds) to marry her so she can avoid deportation back to Canada.

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THE BUZZ: Step Up director Anne Fletcher is making strides in her career, and she's looking to spotlight "Sandy's" physical-comedy skills here, which will most likely pale in comparison to Ryan Reynolds's innate ability to make annoying behavior somehow charming. Thing is: Both Reynolds and Bullock's respective partners are exponentially hotter than this on-screen pairing, but we sense that 2009 is turning into the Year of the Cougar.

Message Boards: One Line That Really Got to Me... | The manuscript- who wrote it?

The Hangover

Director: Todd Phillips
Stars: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha (Full Cast)
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

The Plot: In Las Vegas, three groomsmen lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, forcing them to retrace their steps in order to find him before the church bells ring.

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THE BUZZ: Hmm, did Ashton and Cameron's success in Vegas influence director Todd Phillips to finally pick his first project since the woefully misguided School for Scoundrels remake? Whatever the case, Phillips and Warner Bros. are keeping it low budget here, with a B-list cast (at best) that should keep this comedy in the black.

Message Boards: Ages of the audience who loved/hated this movie | Oh, come on. No way are they doing this.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Director: Chris Columbus
Stars: Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust (Full Cast)
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

The Plot: The last night of high school takes an unexpected turn after geeky grad Denis Cooverman declares his love for hottie cheerleader Beth Cooper in his valedictorian speech.

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THE BUZZ: We're just as surprised as you that Michael Cera's not in this. No McLovin' either. And, while this would've been the perfect material for John Hughes to stage his comeback, familiar '80s filmmaker Colombus will totally give this the right retro teen feel. For those unfamiliar with lead dweeb Paul Rust, YouTube him. He's no stranger to the sketch-comedy world.

Message Boards: Sequel....(Will You Marry Me, Beth Cooper) | The Boy Looks TO OLD

Director: Pete Docter Bob Peterson
Stars: Edward Asner, Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger (Full Cast)
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The Plot: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip.

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THE BUZZ: Pixar takes to the skies again, this time with buddy-story specialists Pete Docter and Bob Peterson bringing the charm to us in 3D (in "select" theaters, anyway). These days, I support anything that strips away my senses of irony and sarcasm, and Up's teaser trailer (located above) is wonderfully restorative. At Comic-Con last year, Docter described how the movie was influenced by an unreachable range of Venezuelan mountains, and a septuagenarian 's wish to fulfill the dreams he made with his now-departed wife when he was a younger man. I got misty. Plus, Docter went on to say that his movie will have some easter eggs for upcoming Pixar projects. More news as Pixar/Disney leaks it.

Message Boards: Pixar Movies IMDB ranked | I don't get why they had to... (quasi-spoiler)

My Sister's Keeper

Director: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Abigail Breslin, Alec Baldwin (Full Cast)
Studio: New Line Cinema

The Plot: Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) looks to earn medical emancipation from her parents (Diaz and Patric) who until now have relied on their youngest child to help their leukemia-stricken daughter Kate (Vassilieva) remain alive.

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THE BUZZ: Nick Cassavetes wants to bum you out. Again. Following up Alpha Dog with this adaptation of Jodi Picoult's novel, a story that is almost as depressing as Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, is destined to make your heart (and Abigail Breslin's kidneys) break. I'm like: Why is this being released in the middle of sunny summer, when it feels predestined to fit into the fall/winter film schedule?

Message Boards: will Jodi sue? | Boyfriend Plot Line

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Director: Tony Scott
Stars: Denzel Washington, John Travolta (Full Cast)
Studio: Columbia Pictures

The Plot: Armed men hijack a New York City subway train, holding the passengers hostage in return for a ransom, and turning an ordinary day's work for dispatcher Walter Garbe (Washington) into a face-off with the mastermind behind the crime (Travolta).

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THE BUZZ: It's Deja-Vu all over again as Scott and Denzel reunite for this remake of a remake. I can't help but wonder if the hijackers in this version will still ask for one meeee-lee-ion dollars or if today's New Yorkers would seriously sit in a subway car with these goons for an hour (even if one of 'em looked like an aging Tony Manero). Somehow, I don't think so.

Message Boards: WORST / BEST REMAKES | The Taking of Pelham 123 DVD

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